Ireland online casinos

Published June 12, 2018

Online casinos are commonly played at by people from Ireland even though the industry is not fully regulated.

While sports betting in Ireland has received an upgrade to its regulatory framework, Ireland is yet to properly address online casinos in law, with the Gambling Control Bill, which will address online wagering aiming to be published by the end of 2018.

This means Irish consumers are free to join online casinos based either in the United Kingdom or various European licensing bodies like Malta.

Online casino games in 2018

Irish online casino players have an abundance of real money games available to play in 2018, with most of the world’s biggest software companies providing games to this region. This means you can play both slots and table games easily, including some sensational live dealer titles.

Gambling online in Ireland

To put it simply, you can bet on sports legally in Ireland. Since 2001, when the Horses and Greyhound Act of that year came into effect, sports betting has been legal in the country. Additionally, the 2013 Gaming Control Bill ensured that online casinos could also operate legally there, as long as they acquired a gambling licence to do so.

Because there is no casino licenses granted by the Irish Government it means you can play under different jurisdictions laws, who will have to abide by the rules in their country. We recommend playing at casinos based in either the United Kingdom, Malta, Gibraltar or the Isle of Man. All of these licensing bodies are are required to abide by anti-money laundering rules, protection of player regulations and more in order to acquire and maintain such a licence.

The amended Gambling Control Bill aims to provide a framework that will keep players safe and provide a regulatory framework that will be relevant for many years to come. Reading the full list of proposed laws in the bill makes interesting reading

Nothing is really considered to be illegal in Ireland as far as gambling is concerned. As a general rule, as long as the casino, bingo site or poker website is based elsewhere you will be able to play at it.

Euro deposits at Irish online casinos

Because the Republic of Ireland makes up a part of the European Union (EU), the country uses the Euro as its official currency. This works quite nicely in its favour, as most online casinos catering to European countries also incorporate the Euro as a possible depositing and playing currency. Therefore, the possibilities are just about endless when it comes to depositing (and withdrawing) in Euros. As far as depositing goes, players can also utilise one of several different payment methods at most online casinos. These include options such as the following payment methods:

Gambling history in Ireland

Prior to 1956, gambling in Ireland was a bit of a tricky area. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it really began picking up in the country, thanks to influence from the English. At the time, it was horse racing that really gained traction in Ireland – this continues to gain popularity, even today. During this time, gambling activity went on without any sort of regulation, pretty much going unnoticed. The Irish Free State then established itself in 1922. By 1926, the Betting Act came into effect, providing the country with its first real piece of regulation for gambling. This Act was then revised in 1931 and required anyone taking bets on a sporting event to hold a licence for it to be legal.

When 1956 rolled around, the Gaming and Lotteries Act was brought into law. Casino gaming and lottery options were affected by this. Essentially, lotteries could only be run for charitable purposes, while casinos were not allowed to be in operation anywhere in Ireland at this time. That loophole that was mentioned earlier on did allow for the setup of private members clubs which hosted casino games. This same law existed until the start of the 90s, when the Irish government were pretty much pressured into updating the out-of-date bills. A new law for regulating the industry was needed, especially with the pending digital age on the horizon. By 2013, the Gambling Control Bill had come onto the radar with politicians hoping it will pass by the end of 2018.

Online casino and gambling laws

Under the proposed 2013 Gambling Control Bill, online casinos will be able to begin operating within Ireland. Again, they will require a licence to operate there, but once acquired, players could freely join and play the games on hand at these platforms.

These rules also extended to offshore platforms, with casinos and gaming sites requiring a licence from the Irish jurisdiction to be able to operate there, meaning the laws update will effectively ban any casino that doesn’t get a license.

Online bookmakers and betting exchanges also got the same privileges once the Betting (Amendment) Act of 2015 came into play. Therefore, online gambling of all kinds is possible within Ireland, catering to Irish residents in a free and easy way.

As well as the growth of online casino sites, Ireland has also seen a rush of popularity in terms of bingo and poker. This has also been due to the fact that online platforms have been able to offer such games legally to residents.

Sports betting still remains as the number one gambling sector in the country, both online and offline. However, this hasn’t had any kind of marring effect on the other gambling sectors, with poker rooms, casinos and others seeing vast interest from Irish citizens. To put it bluntly, all forms of gambling are legal in Ireland, as long as the operators possess a valid licence from the relevant regulatory body.

Ireland Geography

For many people, when thinking about Ireland, the entire island comes to mind. Of course, today, the island itself is separated into Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which exists as a sovereign state. The capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland is Dublin